


Maybe Not

by RumbelleDearie



Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Addiction, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Cuties, Falling In Love, Fluff, Loss, M/M, Rush and Young being adorkable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 08:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10636443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RumbelleDearie/pseuds/RumbelleDearie
Summary: Rush attempts to confront Young when a bottle of Brody's alcohol goes missing. But unexpectedly, Rush ends up doing a little more comforting than confronting.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fic in the SGU fandom and the Rush/Young pairing. Hope you enjoy, happy reading! xx

Young had stopped wearing his wedding ring. Rush noticed last week when the pair were standing next to each other in the mess, waiting for Becker to give them their share of the paste the crew called rations. There was a light creamy strip around Young's left hand ring finger, so clear and distinct from the rest of his tanned and overworked hands. The sharp contrast was easily apparent to Rush. Young's hand look naked, his demeanour, empty.

From that week on, observing Young had become a bit of a hobby for Rush. And like the scientist he was he began noticing a few uncharacteristic shifts in the Colonel. It started out small, things like Young neglecting to answer his radio right away, or arriving two minutes late for a shift on the bridge. But what worried Rush the most, not because he cared about Young, but because he cared about the mission; for the mission to be a success Rush needed all the members of the crew to be functioning at one-hundred percent, or rather, Rush needed the  _ important _ members of the crew to be functioning at one-hundred percent. So when Rush observed Young spending an unusual amount of time in his quarters, but still had dark circles under his eyes, Rush was suspicious. And his suspicions were confirmed last Monday when a bottle of alcohol went missing from Brody's storage.

It had taken a few days to gain the courage to confront Young. Rush wasn’t the confrontational sort. But this was for the mission. The mission was important.  _ Young was important _ . 

Rush rounded the corner to Young's quarters, surrounded by the cold metal walls and whispering of the Destiny. Rush paused in front of the doors - his hand hovering over the panel. Releasing a deep breath Rush's hand pushed down on the panel, the doors opening with a fierce whir of metal and wind. Rush stood still for a beat, his eyes taking in the darkness of Young's quarters, the blue FTL glow the only source of light. Rush stepped forward into the room, the door shutting closed behind him. Young was sitting at his desk, a glass in hand as he stared over piles of paperwork. But beneath the pile of paperwork was a picture, a picture of Young and a woman smiling together. Rush recognized the problem underneath all of the paperwork. He meant to say something intelligent and helpful, something to ease Young's mind and maybe even sooth his heart. But Rush wasn't good at social interaction or emotional situations. 

Like usual, he fucked it up.

"Cut the shit Young." Rush said harshly, his Scottish brogue emphasising his distaste of the situation. 

Young looked up, his eyes bloodshot and sore, it looked like he had been crying. 

"Rush? What are you-" Young slurred, his mind slightly impaired by the amount of alcohol he had consumed. 

"You quit drinking. Back on earth."

"Rush what does this-"

"No Colonel. For once in your goddamn life, you're going to listen to me." Rush said as he moved towards the Colonel's desk and took the glass of alcohol right out of Young's hands. "Where's the bottle? I know you took it." Rush said with a raised brow, his lips pressed into a thin smug grin. There was no way around the issue for Young any longer. Young ran his hands over his face, his palms running over the course midnight stubble. His hands rested briefly over his reddened eyes as he rubbed them unceremoniously before traveling further to grab frustratingly at the thick curls on the top of his head; he needed a haircut. Young let out a sigh before reaching into the bottom drawer of the desk and pulled out the half empty bottle. Young regretfully offered the bottle to Rush, their course fingers gently brushing against one another as the transfer was completed. Rush's eyes made contact with Young's, the encounter only lasting a few seconds but at the same time feeling like time stopped completely.

"Fuck." Young muttered as he moved across his quarters from his position at his desk to the more comfortable black couch. Young flopped down on the soft fabric, realizing for the first time just how tired he really was.

"I know, it's a bitch." Rush said sympathetically, or as sympathetically as Rush could muster.

"What, addiction or loss?" Young said with a dry chuckle. 

Rush's lips quivered in response, part of him wanting to smile back at Young's humour, and part of him feeling slightly disgusted. "Both," Rush whispered back, trying not to betray any hint of human emotion across his carefully calculated face. 

Rush stood awkwardly in front of Young, shifting his weight back and forth between his legs.

"You were married once? Weren't you Rush?" Young asked, a softened look in his eyes. 

Young was truly in a desperate place if he was seeking guidance from Rush; specifically guidance on women. Most people assumed Rush didn't have feelings, let alone sexual desire, and therefore there was no way he could have kept a stable marriage. But for some reason Young suspected otherwise. Young believed that once, perhaps long ago, Rush had been full of love. And now he was a bitter Scottish arse hole. But he suspected that Rush just needed to find the right person who could love him again.

Rush brought a hand to the back of his neck and let out a deep groan. Young's lips parted unexpectedly as he watched the scientist squirm beneath his gaze.

"I was married once." Rush finally replied, meeting the Colonel's eye contact. Young let out a soft huff of air as he tried to laugh at how uncomfortable Rush was.

"Would you just take a seat already Rush. You look so fucking lost." Young said as he gestured towards the empty couch cushions beside him.

"Don't we all," Rush said with a wince as he uncomfortably sat next to Young, a cushion separating them as he crossed his legs and turned to focus on the tired Colonel.

"How long since you quit smoking?" Young asked, shifting so that his back was against the arm of the sofa. He almost stretched his legs out fully, but realized that might be invading Rush's personal space.

"I didn't quit smoking, I've just run into a temporary drought of supplies since boarding the Destiny." 

Young laughed in response at the blatant denial from Rush. 

"How long had you been sober?" Rush countered, tactfully bring the conversation back towards Young. 

Colonel Young let out a groan of self disgust. "Must have been a little over fourteen months."

"And how long since your wife left?" Rush asked indelicately and Young gave him a stern look. "Or um did she..." Rush stumbled trying to make up for the offence he had caused Young. 

If Young hadn't known any better he might think Rush looked cute like that, stumbling and stuttering around his words, trying to find a way to apologize for his social misgivings. Rush never apologized. Young decided to put the scientist out of his misery.  

"No that one was my fault. You know about TJ...and well, let's just say the marriage is over and I regret that. I regret the way I treated everyone Rush. The way I treated Emily, TJ, Telford." Young let out a small and slightly uncomfortable chuckle before settling his eye contact with Rush's. "I even regret the ways I've treated you sometimes."

Rush was speechless. For the first fucking time in his life. 

_ How did he even respond to that? What did Young want him to say to that?  _

Rush's Adam's apple bobbed as he looked at Young, the tip of his tongue darting out to wet his lips in preparation for the words that would not follow.

Once again Young had decided to put the poor man out of his misery.

"You still wear your wedding ring, why is that Rush?"

"Because, she a - my wife -  she died. I'm a widower,” he paused running the golden band around his finger, “Cancer. I was never really there for her either. Always…”

“Working.” The Colonel finished Rush’s sentence knowingly.

“Aye, working. So I suppose I regret a lot of things to.” 

"Regret's a bitch." 

"It certainly is." Rush concluded as the two men sat together in silence, slumped on the sofa and staring at the grey metal wall across from them. The blue FTL light and the creaks from destiny the only things that dared to breathe as Young found himself slowly relaxing towards the rigid scientist. 

"I'm alone now Rush." Young stated, breaking the silence. He didn’t dare to look at the older man, he was already exposing himself enough. 

"I've been alone for many years Colonel. Ironically coming out here to Destiny, being as far away from humanity as possible, I've never felt closer to it." And a thin, but honest smile swept across Rush’s weary face as he turned to look the Colonel in the eye.

"Maybe we're not so alone Rush," the Colonel whispered.

"Maybe not." Rush agreed as Young shifted, and he took the smaller mans thin hand within his own, holding it tightly.

Everett smiled, “Maybe not.”


End file.
